Did old gloves punch harder(pre thumbless?

[atomicsad]

I heard an interview where a fighter was complaining about thumbless gloves and how there took away his punching power. Were the old gloves better for punchers?

[Larjoe]

I definitely think so

[SlySlickSmooth]

The funny thing is there are zero recorded in ring fatalities (to my knowledge) during the bare-knuckle era.

People started dying as soon as protective gloves allowed the forces of punches to be heavier and more spread out. Sure there were less broken jaws or eye sockets, but boxing gloves brought upon the death of fighters.

[ukbox]

The funny thing is there are zero recorded in ring fatalities (to my knowledge) during the bare-knuckle era.

People started dying as soon as protective gloves allowed the forces of punches to be heavier and more spread out. Sure there were less broken jaws or eye sockets, but boxing gloves brought upon the death of fighters.

I think the skilled bare knuckle, the old stuff, would have focused on the body. Their hands were their bread & butter & injuries would set you back. No doubt they fought with hands they shouldn't have, but there's only so much you are physically capable of.
IMO gloves allowed fighters to be more gung ho with less chance of injury, more head hunters & less body punchers in the game with gloves.
I agree with you about the weight & impact. The same argument was the reason for head guards removal in AMs. They did more damage than good with the increase in weight adding to the punch/force. They also had issues with visibilty.